Springfield Islamic association to reach out to community

The city of Springfield will start its 20th annual CultureFest from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Springfield City Hall Plaza.

This year, Springfield City Global Education and Peace Network member Samina Ahmed will help organize and run two booths sponsored by the Miami Valley Islamic Association.

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Ahmed’s goal is to educate people about the Islamic religion and reduce stigma against her faith.

One booth will feature doctors and other medical professionals and will offer free health screenings. People will be able to come and ask cardiologists, pulmonologists, rheumatologists and other specialists about any health issues they may have.

“They will give advice and recommendations … about your BMI, your weight and diabetes issues,” Ahmed said.

The second booth will distribute free literature about Islam.

“It’s in English … (so) they can have it for their own references,” Ahmed explained.

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The booths are meant to help differentiate between the criminal activities of terrorists presented in the media and the religion itself, according to Ahmed. They create a safe place for people in the community to go ask questions.

Interactive activities such as Arabic calligraphy demonstrations will also be available throughout the day.

“We are looking forward to answering any questions (people) may have,” Ahmed said.

For more information about CultureFest, visit the webpage at springfieldohio.gov/culturefest.

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